Leila Makhat Kyzy Vekilova

Born Jan. 29, 1927, in Baku. Soviet ballerina. People’s Artist of the USSR (1967). Member of the CPSU since 1956.

Vekilova graduated from the Baku Choreographic School in 1943. From 1945 to 1946 she perfected her art at the Moscow Choreographic School. In 1943 she became a soloist at the M. F. Akhundov Theater of Opera and Ballet in Baku. Vekilova has created expressive characters in national ballets, combining the technique of classical dance and features of native Azerbaijan choreography. These include Giul’-ianak in Badalbeili’s The Maiden’s Tower, Aisha in Karaev’s Seven Beauties, and Giul’shen in Gadzhibekov’s work of the same name. Among her other roles are Tao Khoa in Glière’s The Red Poppy, Odette-Odile in Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, Zarema in Asaf ev’s The Fountain of Bakhchisarai, and Shirin in Melikov’s Legend ofLove. She has been teaching at the Baku Choreographic School since 1953. Vekilova was awarded the Order of Lenin.